Handled 1.86 million tonnes of cargo in July 2017-the highest ever in a month

Essar Bulk Terminal Ltd (EBTL), the operator of the Hazira port terminal facility, has said that it has signed an agreement with Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) for expanding its captive jetty by 1100 metres.

The expanded berthing facility is expected to be ready by end-FY18, and will enhance the current capacity by 20 MTPA. This will not only help cater to the enhanced cargo requirements of Essar Steel, its anchor customer, but also give a boost to the company’s third-party cargo business.

EPL has world-class port terminal facilities that have all registered a significant jump in cargo handling in the last three months on the back of improved performance of their anchor customers. EBTL alone has registered a 26% Q-o-Q growth in cargo in Q1 of FY17-18 by handling about 5.5 million tonnes of cargo in the quarter. In June 2017, the terminal handled a cargo of 1.86 million tonne, which is a monthly record.

Commenting on the development, Mr Rajiv Agarwal, Managing Director, Essar Ports, said: “Our Hazira Port Terminal has delivered record output on account of highly efficient operations. The expansion of the jetty by 1,100 metres will further boost the cargo handling capability of the facility.”

Since Essar Steel production is expected to increase further during FY18, the total cargo handling at the Hazira port terminal is likely to cross 25 million tonnes in the fiscal.

The Hazira Port Terminal is an all-weather, deep-water terminal located in the Gulf of Khambatt, Gujarat, India. The terminal has depths of 14 metres below chart datum (CD) and is capable of accommodating capesize vessels. The Port terminal is integrated with Essar’s Hazira Complex which consists of a 10 million tonnes steel plant, power plants and other manufacturing facilities.

Essar Ports has handled a record 19.62 million tonnes of cargo in the quarter ending 30 June 2017. This is a growth of 12% when compared to the cargo handling in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. While dry bulk & unit cargo has increased by 32%, third-party cargo has grown by 60%.

About Essar Ports

Essar Ports is one of the largest port companies of India, with a current capacity of 140 MTPA. The capacity is being expanded to 194 MTPA over the next few years. Essar Ports has five operational port terminals at Hazira, Vadinar, Paradip, Salaya and Vizag.

The Hazira port is an all-weather, deep-draft port with 30 MTPA of dry bulk and break bulk cargo handling capacity. Vadinar is also an all-weather, deep-draft port with 58 MTPA of liquid cargo handling capacity. The Paradip dry bulk terminal is an all-weather, deep-draft port with 16 MTPA of dry bulk cargo handling capacity. The Vizag terminal is an operational berth taken over in May 2015 having capacity of 16 MTPA. The Company’s newly commissioned dry bulk terminal at Salaya has increased its capacity by further 20 MTPA.

Additionally, the Company is also expanding its Hazira port capacity by 20 MTPA. The Company is also undertaking capacity addition of iron ore berths at Visakhapatnam Port with a total capacity of 16 MTPA.